Beautiful Mistakes

Nodding, he agreed, "True."

Sighing, Julie said, "Man, I am so full. Why did you let me eat so much rice?"

"I thought you were trying to make Poppy Seed grow."

"By eating ten pounds of rice? I'm pretty sure only I will grow," she said, touching her stomach to see if it was protruding.

"You're pregnant; you're bound to grow."

"Not yet," she said. "I don't want to get fat."

"You're not going to get fat," he said, rolling his eyes. "You're pregnant, that's not the same thing."

"We'll see if you still say that when I'm the size of your car and I could easily sit on you and kill you."

"Don't be so vain," he admonished. "Didn't they ever teach you in school that character counts, too?"

Shrugging as she lifted herself off the couch, she said, "I really have no idea, I was too busy being a teacher's pet to get a lecture about anything."

Aaron shook his head. "I should have known," he called after her as she went in the kitchen to put away her rice. "You're probably that girl in class that everyone suspects is having an affair with the professor."

Wiggling her eyebrows as she reentered the room, she pulled a Scarlet O'Hara-style eyelash flutter and said, "Why, Professor, what do you mean I got a B? Maybe I could come over later for a… private study session."

Shaking his head sardonically, he said, "I could see it."

Grinning, she plopped down on the couch next to him. "No, I've never had an affair with one of my professors. I've only been with two people, and you already know who both of those were, so… no naughty professors in my background."

Lifting an eyebrow, he seemed to respond to what she said, but he didn't say anything.

"You know what I realized?" she said absently, turning her attention away from the chase on the TV screen.

"What's that?" he asked idly.

"I don't actually know how old you are. I mean, I know you're a year younger, but since I never actually knew specifically how old he was…"

"Oh. Twenty-nine."

"He's 29 or you're 29?" she asked.

"I am. He's 30."

"Oh, I see," she said with a nod.

"And you're what, 21 or 22, right?"

Grimacing, she said reluctantly, "Almost…"

Looking at her expectantly, he said, "Almost… which one?"

"Almost 21."

His eyes widened as he said, "You're twenty? You're not even old enough to drink?"

Rolling her eyes, she said, "I will be soon. It's just a few months off."

"How many is a few?"

After a brief pause, she said, "Only four."